“Let’s Talk About Exclusion” Mason Scholars in Conversation with Grzegorz Kwiatkowski
Provisions Research Center for Art and Social Change has recently initiated a research residency program through a series of interdisciplinary conversations intended to stimulate integrative academic research, exhibitions, events, and other creative narratives.
This spring, we are honored to welcome Grzegorz Kwiatkowski—Polish poet, musician, and political activist—in collaboration with the Cheuse International Writers Center. As part of a week-long program of events, there will be two days of conversation with Grzegorz:
“Let’s Talk About Exclusion”
Conversations between visiting artist/scholar Grzegorz Kwiatkowski and Mason scholars.
Dates & Times
Tuesday, April 21, and Thursday, April 23, 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM (both days)
Please note that these conversations will be audio-recorded for research purposes.
Location:
Room 2050, Art & Design Building (Building #4 on the Campus Map)
RSVP: Please email Spaek2@gmu.edu if you would like to attend. Space is limited.
Topics that Grzegorz is interested in engaging:
“In general, I am fascinated by the intersection of politics, history, art, literature, protest, and social issues.”
Poetry, literature, art, and music, and their potential to carry political meaning, as well as their capacity for protest.
History and the analysis of the present and hypotheses about the future.
History of violence in the United States: slavery and genocide of Indigenous peoples, educational memory, and whether a strong and honest education can exist in the U.S., given its own violent history.
Cemeteries as sites of memory and exclusion.
The function of the “whistleblower” in the contemporary media landscape.
The processes through which art and politics merge into a single whole, and the history of protest and resistance movements in the United States.
Biography
Grzegorz Kwiatkowski (b. 1984) – a Polish poet, musician, and human rights activist, has authored several books of poetry revolving around the subjects of history, remembrance, and ethics. He is a member of the psychedelic rock band Trupa Trupa.
Grzegorz has participated in numerous international literary programs at leading institutions, including Oxford University, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, the Jewish Historical Institute, the Ted Hughes Society, and the University of California, Berkeley. He will also continue his work as an artist-in-residence at Yale University’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies from 2025 through 2026.
His work has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, Modern Poetry in Translation, Pitchfork, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Billboard, Spin, Chicago Tribune, NPR, BBC, and KEXP.
Trupa Trupa’s songs have been broadcast on radio shows hosted by Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins. The band has also performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts and BBC’s Radio 6. Their music has been published by Sub Pop, Glitterbeat Records, Ici d’ailleurs, and Lovitt Records.
